(BREAKING NEWS - The NIH has announced a briefing by experts from the FDA and NIH today at 3:00 p.m. EST on their study confirming the Whittemore-Peterson Institute's findings regarding the XMRV virus and chronic fatigue syndrome. The study will be published later today in the on-line version of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The Editors would like to congratulate the WPI on this wonderful accomplishment.)

There's a moment in the film Schindler's List in which the accountant, Itzhak Stern shows Oskar Schindler the list of Jews they're saving. The document seems to glow with an almost spiritual light as he says, "This list is an absolute good. The list is life. All around its margins lies the gulf."

Such moments of unsullied heroism are rare, but I traveled two hundred and fifty miles to Reno, Nevada this last weekend to observe one. I'm talking of course about the opening of the Whittemore-Peterson Institute for Neuro-Immune Diseases which is part of the new Center for Molecular Medicine at the University of Nevada, School of Medicine.

All of this transpired because of Harvey and Annette Whittemore and their unrelenting efforts to help their daughter Andrea who suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalomyelitis). Along the way they were helped by many physicians like Dr. Daniel Peterson who struggled to understand the epidemic, and lately by Drs. Judy Mikovits and Vincent Lombardi. Like autism, chronic fatigue syndrome has been the subject of scorn and ridicule in the medical community. Even when pioneering scientists showed significant immunological abnormalities among chronic fatigue syndrome sufferers it was difficult to get the medical community to pay attention.

When I say that the vision of the Whittemores for an institute in which the very best of medical science would be harnessed to solve this mystery has been realized, what do I really mean? Here are some facts about this effort. The newly completed Center for Molecular Medicine was built at a cost of $77 million dollars, encompasses more than 115,000 square feet of office space, labs, and patient care areas, and will eventually house approximately 150 researchers and 30 principal investigators.

The Whittemore-Peterson Institute for Neuro-Immune Disorders (WPI) has been in the news most recently for its discovery linking the XMRV virus (xenotropic murine leukemia virus related virus) to chronic fatigue syndrome. The discovery was published in October of 2009 in the journal Science and can be found HERE. There are rumors that this study will shortly be confirmed by new a study coming from the NIH and FDA.

I've become aware of the chronic fatigue community over the past several months because of their similarities to the autism community. Like us, they have been attacked by the medical community, and perhaps even more cruelly, since the medical community has often engaged in an active campaign to label them as psychologically unsound. And yet, despite the ravages of this disease and the campaign waged against them the chronic fatigue community has persevered.

And so on a Saturday morning I stood in a large open lobby with tall glass windows and abundant sunlight, surrounded by somewhere around 200 people, many in wheelchairs, and some with oxygen tanks, to celebrate the opening of this wonderful new center. The day belonged to those with chronic fatigue syndrome, many of whom have been sick for decades. However, I would be remiss if I didn't note that the WPI's own promotional materials also listed Gulf War Illness, cancers, and autism as neuro-immune disorders which they plan to study. Whether the XMRV virus is a part of these disorders and possibly more is an open question at this point, but let's just say a lot of blood from my family is making its way to Nevada to try and answer these questions.

I've come to know some of the people at the WPI over the past several months and I'd like to make some personal observations. Dr. Judy Mikovits is the type of medical researcher I've long wanted to believe exists at the very top levels of science. She is brilliant, a straight-shooter, and goes where the evidence leads. She also understands the politics of science and who needs to be standing at her side if she's going to make a fight, even if some of the games played by other scientists and institutions disgust her. Dr. Vincent Lombardi is a careful, thoughtful researcher with a remarkable future in front of him.

I was also able to meet Harvey and Annette Whittemore. Their dedication to finding an answer to the problems of their daughter would be immediately familiar to any of the warrior parents of children with autism. Like us, they believe that passion and a personal stake in questions about a disease are not a disqualification for good science. In fact, such an interest is more akin to a guarantee in the quality of the research as they are most personally impacted by both the successes and the failures.

The facility was open for tours and I was able to view treatment rooms designed especially for the needs of those with chronic fatigue syndrome as well as the labs in which the research will be conducted. I spent part of last summer taking classes at Lawrence-Livermore Labs and must note that the WPI rivals anything at one of our leading national laboratories. Many of the researchers were available to discuss the implications of their work. I had a good understanding of many of their research areas and it was a joy to be able to question them more closely about their findings.

In trying to understand the import of this day I asked many of the staff if there was any comparable research facility in the world dedicated to neuro-immune disorders. They told me the WPI was a truly unique place, unprecedented not just in size and scope, but in the collaborative atmosphere in which research findings will be translated as quickly as possible into clinical treatments.

The great physician, Sir William Osler wrote, "Medicine arose out of the primal sympathy of man with man; out of the desire to help those in sorrow, need, and sickness." It is good to to know that Olser's ideals live on at the Whittemore-Peterson Institute. I believe that all those who suffer from neuro-immune disorders will soon benefit from their efforts.

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For the past ten years I have searched the Internet for information about cures for diseases only to fine a confusion of answers. The doctors and scientist can not agree on much. The “Germ Theory” is still as wrong as it was when Pastor quoted it. The politics of medicine ($$$$) keeps us donating millions of dollars to research every year because we are almost there. We have been almost there for twenty or thirty years. The reality is we will be almost there for the next hundred years. Think about it, why would research find the keys to disease and put them selves out of work? Why would anyone give up a nice cushy job, millions of dollars, all for the sake of curing diseases?

We sent men to the moon and brought them back, but we can not cure diseases. Really? What about vitamin B-17? What about Dr. Robert Beck’s Blood electrifier? What about the hundreds of other cures talked about on the Web? Yes the medical profession discounts all of these as “Quackery”, but are they? The FDA will not take a fair and unbiased look at any of them, but they will approve all kinds of poisons for the drug companies. Our tax dollars at work, but for who?

The time has come for a reality check when it comes to research. We need to receive good results, not just a promise to do better. We need to spend the money to prove or to disprove many of the cures talked about on the Internet. We need a true and honest opinion, unbiased, controlled in an open public study. We need to retrain our doctors about medicine as it should be practiced and include nutrition as a major part of it. We need to recall many of the patent medicines as they are only poisons that masks the symptoms, but do not cure. We need to repeal the rules that a doctor can only use “Approved Procedures” to treat their patients. We are what we eat. We need to shut down much of the fast food industry as it is killing us. We need to understand that most of the public can not think and reason critically to be able to take care of their own health. These are the people at most risk of doctors who are more interested in their pocketbook than the patient’s health. Some safeguards need to be put into place to protect these folks.

This will never happen in our lifetime. Maybe when the world blows up and there is little left to salvage, maybe those left will take a different path, a different strategy about good and evil. Maybe, just maybe mankind will survive. Do you think?

Hi all, I still have no net and it's a nice thought holiday.
The reason I mentioned my skepticism about XMRV is because whether you think the it's a real pathogen or not as soon as your kids are given AIDS drugs they'll start dying like all the other HIV+ kids that are being poisoned by those drugs.
I know a quite a few recovering mums who were once on the AIDS drugs and have organ damage etc and on the other do know people HIV+ for 25 years with no drugs and stayed well.
AIDS as a science has less than 5 years to go because in another 5 there will be people alive for 30 years and the HIV theory will crumble as it should.

I still think poisoning is the main cause of autism, it's a poisoned world

Cal Crilly - Thanks for joining the thread. I hope that you can gain access to a computer and internet. Do you have an email address? Here's mine: patrons99@yahoo.com. Your input is greatly appreciated. There's also a related, more recent thread here at AoA, that you may wish to comment on:

Is there any PCV2 virus in the lymph glands of the 256 million children who have been vaccinated with rotavirus vaccines? Is there any risk of these children developing a multi-systemic wasting disease?

Using today’s technology, I wish someone would reproduce Royal Rife’s work with his BX cancer virus and Mortal Oscillatory Rate. If we can use MRI to image the spatial distribution of nuclear magnetic proton spin densities and relaxation times using magnetic fields and pulsed magnetic field gradients, why can't similar electromedicine technology be developed and applied to therapy?

Where does the pronounced antimicrobial properties of colloidal silver derive? Is coordinated resonance somehow involved? What reaction is being catalyzed? Is it a photodynamic effect?

What effect does fluoride from the public water supply and toothpaste have on the zeta potential (ZP) of our bodies? on the affinity and sequestration of heavy metals by our bodies? on quantum coherent energy transfers at a distance by our bodies?

Mercury is not the only neurotoxin and immunotoxin in the vaccine schedules. Autism or vaccine-associated brain injury is not the only vaccine-associated disease.

Global vaccine policy rests on seriously flawed, never proven theories, i.e., vaccine-induced "herd immunity" and "vaccine-preventable diseases". The vaccine schedules provide portals of vaccine-associated diseases. Simply-put, a portal is a route of entry. The vaccine schedules provide the initial mode of transmission of vaccine-associated diseases which bypasses our first line of natural immunity. The vaccine schedules cause disease. There are now detailed molecular explanations as to how they cause disease.

Hi Natasa, I'll write this stuff for an article in a minute, just checking if I can leave any comments.
The animals in question are exposed to retroviruses that shouldn't have been extracted in the first place and then they expose the wrong organs to retroviruses from different organs.
Retroviruses are essential for new growth.
They signal to cytokines which are growth hormones to start new cell growth.
They also dismantle dying cells.
If put into the wrong place they are simply doing the wrong thing to cells who see them and think they should shut up shop.

And hypomethylation of cells is the cause of retroviral expression which causes the cell death.
This is what we see in Lupus which is a disease characterised by high retroviral loads.
Expand+DNA hypomethylation is crucial for apoptotic DNA to induce systemic lupus erythematosus-like autoimmune disease in SLE-non-susceptible mice http://rheumatology.oxfordjournals.org/content/46/12/1796.full

Here is a VERY plausible detailed molecular explanation for both the neurotoxicity and systemic immune toxicity of thimerosal with a DIRECT link to epigenetic control of the human genome. I am particularly amazed by this: "...thimerosal, a sulfhydryl-blocking reagent, strongly inhibits DNA methylation activity in a dose-dependent manner..." There may be some relevance to Dr Staines' work with VNs, although I'm not sure that you must necessarily invoke a direct role for VNs. BTW - I'm not an immunologist. I'm just an ecclectic generalist trying to see the "big picture".

“In this work, we show for the first time that short periods of incubation with PKC activators down-regulate DNA methylation activity, which correlates tightly with the expression of inducible CpG-containing genes such as IFN-{gamma}, suggesting a link between both effects. In addition, okadaic acid, a protein phosphatase (PP) inhibitor, and thimerosal, a sulfydryl reagent, also decrease DNA methylation activity and induce IFN-{gamma} expression. These results further support the view that DNA methylation is a dynamic process that can be affected by different signaling pathways, probably involving phosphorylation, and could regulate key aspects of the peripheral immune system.”

@ Kevin Berwick - Interesting comment. Dysfunctional vasoactive neuropeptides as mediators of multisystemic immune dysfunction. Sure, why not? Perhaps they could be biomarkers. Dr Staines’ theory seems credible, but it raises many questions. The apparent association between dysfunctional VNs and CFS is provocative. Here are some naive questions: Is DNA hypomethylation a marker for dysfunctional VNs? Is XMRV an HERV? Are dysfunctional VNs found in XMRV positive patients? What is the relation, if any, between inflammatory cytokines and VNs?

I would also consider Dr Russell Blaylock’s excitotoxins to be potential mediators of neuroimmune dysfunction, though I need to learn more about them. Just as for the WPI’s work on XMRV, I would caution that at this stage, no reasonable theories should be taken off the table. Many promising leads are in play and should be explored concurrently and not interfered or hindered in any way.

I must admit that I’m VERY apprehensive by the following quotes from your comment:

“These VN autoimmune processes may also have implications for military medicine where radiological, chemical and biological agents may play an important role in pathogenesis.”

“A spectrum of interventions including genomic, immunological and biochemical/drug therapies may prove to be possible in VN autoimmune fatigue-related disorders. Interventions such as phosphodiesterase inhibitors, immunotherapy, VN replacement or VN receptor reactivation may prove to be useful in these conditions but are not yet tested.”

Life is God’s creation. If as suggested by Dr Mae-Wan Ho, life can be thought of as quantum coherent organism in an open thermodynamic system, the stability of such a system would best be maintained and restored by God-designed orthomolecules and avoidance of exogenous xenobiotics, NOT by introducing new ones. Periodic detoxification from environmental pollutants and toxins makes eminent sense to me.

What role, if any, does high dose vitamin D3 have on dysfunctional VN’s? On dyfunctional dendritic cells? On excitotoxin toxicity?

What effect does orthomolecular treatment of DNA hypomethylation have on dysfunctional VN’s? On dysfunctional dendritic cells? On excitotoxin toxicity?

Wouldn’t orthomolecular treatment of dysfunctional VNs, neuroimmune dysfunction, and DNA hypomethylation be potentially safer, and less disruptive of the delicate equipoise of our internal biological milleau, or the Terrain if you prefer, than dumping ever more of pharma’s xenobiotics into our bodies to “fix” the problem? Pharma and our military are likely responsible for our neuroimmune dysfunction in the first place, with their radiologic, chemical, and biologic agents.

Disorders such as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and gulf war syndrome (GWS) are characterised by prolonged fatigue and a range of debilitating symptoms of pain, intellectual and emotional impairment, chemical sensitivities and immunological dysfunction. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) surprisingly may have certain features in common with these conditions. Post-infection sequelae may be possible contributing factors although ongoing infection is unproven.

They and their receptors are potentially immunogenic. VNs are widely distributed in the body particularly in the central and peripheral nervous systems and have been identified in the gut, adrenal gland, blood cells, reproductive system, lung, heart and other tissues. They have a vital role in maintaining cardio-respiratory function, thermoregulation, memory, concentration and executive functions such as emotional responses including social cues and appropriate behaviour. They are co-transmitters for a number of neurotransmitters including acetylcholine and gaseous transmitters, are potent immune regulators with primarily anti-inflammatory activity, and have a significant role in protection of the nervous system against toxic assault as well as being important in the maintenance of homeostasis.

Excerpts

This paper describes a biologically plausible mechanism for the development of certain fatigue-related syndromes based on loss of immunological tolerance to these VNs or their receptors following infection, other events or de novo resulting in significant pathophysiology possibly mediated via CpG fragments and heat shock (stress) proteins. These conditions extend the public health context of autoimmunity and VN dysregulation and have implications for military medicine where radiological, biological and chemical agents may have a role in pathogenesis. Possible treatment and prevention options are considered.

VNs belong to the secretin-glucagon super-family, exerting significant control over carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. They have important roles in vasodilation, neurotrophism, nociception, neuroregulation and neurotransmission including thermoregulation, cardio-respiratory control, balance and vestibular function, emotional and intellectual functioning including memory and concentration, and immunological and hormonal modulation.

They exert their effects at high level in controlling central and peripheral nervous systems and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis functions. Other vital functions regulated in the brain include olfaction, feeding and reproductive behaviours, circadian rhythm, and sleep–wake cycles. They and their receptors are expressed at important peripheral sites such as heart, gut, blood, lung, pancreas, liver and urogenital systems (Ishizuka et al. 1992, Arimura 1998, Sherwood et al. 2000, Hannibal 2002, Hashimoto 2002, Ganea et al. 2003). Compromise of their function is likely to have serious consequences for homeostasis.

Endogenous opioid activity is functionally related to cytokine and VN activity suggesting that pain mediation and perception may be altered in conditions where endogenous opioid function is mpaired through VN mechanisms (Wilderman and Armstead 1997, Peterson et al. 1998). Nitric oxide (NO) metabolism is implicated in immunomodulation as well as possibly mediating chemical sensitivity in these conditions suggesting a plausible mechanism for some concurrent symptoms in CFS and GWS (Pall 2002, Onoue et al. 2002). Synaptic plasticity and pain behaviours are critically mediated by CGRP in the amygdala (Han et al. 2005).

As these antibodies may be polyclonal with varying degrees of blocking capacity, this may explain heterogeneity in phenotypic expression of VN autoimmune fatigue disorders. In other words fatigue disorders of varying degrees of severity and duration may result.

Ancient DNA sequences mimicking bacterial and viral genomes containing higher proportions of CpG elements have become incorporated into mammalian DNA as human endogenous retrovirus (HERV). These genetic components have become methylated over time making them mostly benign components of mammalian DNA. However, these DNA components may undergo hypomethylation through a range of stimulating factors, making them able to regulate transcriptional activity and expression of the HERV family (Lavie et al. 2005) with implications for a range of pathologies.

The known association of VPAC2 receptors with acetylcholine and muscle function (Hinkle et al. 2005) suggests a patho-mechanism crudely analogous with autoimmune dysfunction in Myasthenia Gravis and may provide a useful model to explore. Hence treatment options such as pyridostigmine and thymectomy may be considered. In a series of three case reports, Kawamura et al. (2003) describe successful use of oral pyridostigmine in the treatment of CFS. This is an interesting finding given the possible association of pyridostigmine with the aetiology of GWS (Abou-Donia et al. 2004, Staines 2005b).

Conclusion

The autoimmune hypothesis of VNs suggests that relatively minor infection or inflammation results in predictable pro-inflammatory cytokine and other responses which may have subsequent serious effects involving VN dysfunction. Other pro-inflammatory effects such as NO release and possible chemical sensitivities may also result. Modulation and termination of these inflammatory responses is required by VNs. Autoimmune effects, e.g. on PACAP/VIP or the PAC1/VPAC1/VPAC2 receptors will have a negating effect on VN function and also subsequent effects on intracellular mechanisms. While some inflammatory or infectious events may be trivial, compromise of the functions of VNs such as PACAP/VIP/CGRP is not. Brain, cardiac and other organs known to exhibit similar PACAP/VIP receptor function would also be expected to demonstrate dysfunction somewhat simultaneously. Prevention of SIDS and other disorders if shown to be VN autoimmune conditions may evolve from these concepts. Public health implications may exist if “epidemics” or simply seasonal circulating organisms have particular molecular mimicry with VNs or their receptors. Short term relatively benign IgM may shift to a more pathogenic IgG phenotype as autoimmune responses to VNs/receptors and result in longer-term profound impairment and disability. These VN autoimmune processes may also have implications for military medicine where radiological, chemical and biological agents may play an important role in pathogenesis.

Further understanding of possible autoimmune dysfunction of these VNs and their receptors may
elucidate the mechanisms of disabling fatigue-related syndromes such as CFS and GWS, and possibly SIDS, and open the way for routine laboratory investigations and prevention options. VN and receptor reactivation may prove to become successful interventions. A spectrum of interventions including genomic, immunological and biochemical/drug therapies may prove to be possible in VN autoimmune fatigue-related disorders. Interventions such as phosphodiesterase inhibitors, immunotherapy, VN replacement or VN receptor reactivation may prove to be useful in these conditions but are not yet tested.

I have heard that there is a cure. It is already waiting on the shelf, already been approved by the FDA - was made for the HIV or AIDs virus. I really don't understand unless HIV is the virus and AIDs is the disease.

But I want this so bad I pray every night.
My daughter wants this so bad. I thought she would laugh at me, and tell me I stay on the internet too much, but she wants it bad ---I want it bad too.

I think about the hard death my mother-in-law suffered. SHe started dying in her 40s and it took her till barely 70 to do it.

I have had this fear that I may live long enough to see my kids die, or I may not live long enough to get them steady on their feet.

Lets pray about this together, lets pray for a cure. I have not begged or ask God for a long time. But let's do!!!!!

To Food for thought, just for your info I too have for a very very looooong time "read, and consider carefully, why some clearly very intelligent, thoughtful well-educated biologists (and journalists) do not find the "mainstream" view of HIV and AIDS tenable...." - just for the sake of paradigm change (I love those) I immersed myself fully in those world/views/theories. corresponded with several of them, discussed in great depth. Thought they made sense. But after a while the 'denialist' arguments just didn't add up. Having said that there are many 'shades of denialism' and some of the things I've learnt along the way have been very valuable.

Some of the scientists have said that they believe CFS is a form of autism. The similarities between CFS and autism are amazing. I have both Aspergers and CFS, but, I believe I have only one illness, a neuroimmune disease.

Be careful of investing yourself so deeply in existing paradigms that you are unable to consider new ways of looking at the world.
"Aids denialist" is a name tossed round largely by the same folks who emphatically state that autism is either just a normal variation of human behavior/development, or entirely genetic and untreatable, without any consideration of the numerous reports of partial or complete recovery from autism from changes in diet, chelation, and/or other alt med treatments.

I suspect some of these same folks will be quick to grab onto the xmrv hypothesis as it at least fits in with mainstream medical dogma--and will certainly offer a potentially lucrative avenue for the development of expensive pharma treatments. In the short term, there may be loads of money to be made from testing too.

OTOH, I prefer to read, and consider carefully, why some clearly very intelligent, thoughtful well-educated biologists (and journalists) do not find the "mainstream" view of HIV and AIDS tenable. The data falsification, cover-ups, etc. by Gallo and others are enough alone to make one question the whole HIV/AIDS theory/industry--but the alternative view of viruses as put forth by certain scientists, some of whom, yes, do express misgivings and doubts about HIV/AIDS science, are not simply limited to, or even remotely based upon, the many dark shadows in HIV science/history.

Rather some of the novel ideas about the origins and function of viruses are based upon the proponents' rather wide and deep knowledge of the diversity of living organisms and their functions, adaptations, and evolution.

I think you have misread and/or misunderstood what some alternative thinkers are suggesting regarding where viruses may come from and what they may be, or not be. No one is saying that there are not viruses, nor that these are not replicated wildly in some hosts. Nor do such individuals deny the existence of what you call "bugs"--but what they would more specifically call microbes that cause disease. They fully recognize that certain bacteria, protists, fungi and other organisms can and do cause disease (in certain situations); they also recognize the far greater variety of these same organisms that are beneficial or have no direct effects on human health. (Here is an interesting article that Margulis is coauthor of that might interest those putting forth the idea that autism is somehow caused or related to the Lyme spirochaete: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19843691)

Some of these "outside existing paradigms" thinkers suggest that hypomethylated dna may yield rna fragments which we currently call viruses or "retroviruses" and consider to be totally foreign, alien, often dangerous non-living "things." (As you probably know, very few, if any mainstream biologists consider viruses to be living--but in my understanding, some of the alternate thinkers consider viruses to possibly be natural products of living cells--generated specifically to carry information/instructions to other cells--and often, perhaps usually, this may be useful or vital info. Sometimes, however, the messages / instructions that these auto-generated rna fragments carry are garbled, incorrect, or dangerous--perhaps due to methylation errors allowing expression of information stored in what is probably incorrectly called the "junk dna" that makes up a large portion of our genetic code--or perhaps for other reasons. I can not claim to entirely understand their ideas.

Some of them are also saying that genetic information is NOT just transferred laterally within a species (via sexual or asexual reproduction) as we were taught, but also horizontally -- ie. between organisms and species under some circumstances, and surprisingly, not JUST at the microbial level, but also at the level of complex multicellular organisms. (Horizontal transfer of genes at the microbial level is now widely recognized and is part of the problem with the growing antibiotic resistance of diverse microbes.)

In a healthy host, perhaps the immune system can recognize and handle errant rna messengers/messages, and even incorporate the rogue or foreign rna into their own dna genome--perhaps thereby garnering the ability to recognize similar fragments in the future. Most likely reading the original sources would provide a better understanding of these writers' ideas than I have, or am able to convey.

Is this alternative view crazy? Well, there is certainly evidence that exposure to toxins causes immune system problems, methylation errors, and vulnerability to infections. There is clear evidence that not everyone infected with even a deadly "virus" necessarily dies from the exposure. There is plenty of circumstantial evidence that sanitation and improved nutrition leads to reduced incidence of all sorts of diseases, including those purportedly caused by viruses.

(In regards to the Ebola virus, which is (according to some reports) almost always fatal--how does one explain the fact that some Africans have been found to have antibodies to Ebola without ever having had any known exposure, and there are also some who carry the virus, yet are asymptomatic? It seems clear that there is much we do not understand about viruses (or retroviruses)--where they come from, what they really are, why some grow wildly and overwhelm some individuals, while other individuals seem unaffected by the very same virus or retrovirus.) There is room for alternative perspectives and new ways of thinking in science--it is established medicine that has no room, or tolerance, for such ideas.

I suggest you try reading Roberts' entire book, as well as some titles by Margulis and Mae Wan Ho with an open mind--you may still reject their thinking and viewpoints, but then you will at least better understand the ideas you are rejecting--rather than doing so out of hand, because what they say doesn't fit your current knowledge base.

I also suggest you also read some of the "AIDS denailist" websites--you may be surprised to find that much of what they have to say sounds extremely like what you can read on websites regarding alternative biomed approaches to autism.

Of course, they may all be crazy. I know most people think folks who do biomed to treat autism symptoms are all crazy, too.

I have concluded that despite what others may think or say, I am not crazy. Are you? If not, what justification have you for calling AIDS denialists crazy? Is it just because mainstream scientists/medicine/Quackwatch says they are? Cause those same folks are calling everyone who has any qualms about vaccines crazy also.

Each outright lie, mis-statement of truth, and tangled study I have come across, and each dogmatic insistence on one way of looking at things by mainstream scientists/doctors, has led me to greater skepticism, wider reading, and to more questions about what we really know about disease and about maintaining and restoring health. Rather ironically, this has also led me further from mainstream medicine and, at least so far, to much better health for myself and my family.

PS to patrons99--my answer to all of your first questions is/are:
"I don't know." I think you propose some questions that are worth some consideration and are possible research avenues. As to what I think of Crilly's ideas, he has some interesting thoughts/opinions. Whether he is right or wrong, wholly or partially, I don't know.

I think there are plenty of health gurus who have come to the conclusion that yes, we all ought to detox ourselves, regularly (though the suggested methods of doing so seem to vary widely), and that we all need a far greater focus on nourishing our bodies via healthy diets and the right vitamins and minerals to support methylation -- so that we do not hyper or hypomethylate ourselves into diseased states, if we aren't there already. I find some of their arguments fairly convincing and to the extent that I have been able to follow their recommendations, I have so far found that many of their suggestions seem to be beneficial to my own health. But who knows what tomorrow may bring.

May the truth prevail--whatever it is, whoever can find it. Clearly, more research is needed. In my opinion, an honest and comprehensive comparison of the health and development of fully vaccinated versus never vaccinated seems desperately necessary in the search for truth. Perhaps the Whittemore-Pederson Institute would like to take that on as part of their further research into the xmrv virus?

Patrons, detailed answers to those questions would require lots of space (and of my time), so very briefly:
Q: What do we really know about retroviruses? A: a lot, but see above.
Q: How exactly can scientists differentiate endogenous from exogenous retroviruses? A: Simple. They blast it against the human genome. All endogenous ones are mapped in there.
A: What is found when a healthy person is tested for this XMRV retrovirus? - unclear question, if you mean if healthy people are carriers, the answer is roughly between 2-6% seem to be (including blood donors, unfortunately) Compared to 67-90% of CFS patients.
A: What if you expose a healthy person to mercury, then test them for this retrovirus? Q: no one has done that yet, so purely speculative at this point. it would not be fun to speculate, but no time for that …

My duaghter is a nurse, with this virus - well if it transfers like AIDS.

And who will want to marry my son and daughter (not much of a possibility of that right now so we are no worse off, really, because of health) but if we get a handle on that ---- who?

But the truth is the truth!

A human mind can try to think ahead about things as we have heard about how people treated and talked about those that contacted AIDS.

But I bet this virus is not just a few, or 1 percent of the population. It will be interesing in studing this virus just how far reaching and how many it has already infected. Dibeties, thyroid problems, heart disease, kidney problems, as well as Kawasaki's, bipolar, schziophrena, autism, rhuematoid arthrititis, chrons and on and on. What if this little evil thing is responsible for all of that?

In that case there will be no social ramification for it because we may be fighting for the future of the human race.

Natasa - I've not heard answers yet to the questions that Not placated raised:

"What do we really know about retroviruses? How exactly can scientists differentiate endogenous from exogenous retroviruses? What is found when a healthy person is tested for this XMRV retrovirus? What if you expose a healthy person to mercury, then test them for this retrovirus?"

Here are a few questions of my own:

CFS is clinical diagnosis of exclusion. It shares similarity to a number of other clinical conditions, including generalized deconditioning and osteoarthritis.

How many amongst you have never felt "out of shape", achey, or forgetful?

How many patients who fit the diagnostic criteria for CFS test negative for XMRV?

Let's imagine an older patient who is really just "out of shape" who just happens to meet the diagnostic criteria for CFS and also happens to test positive for XMRV. Under those circumstances, I'm not sure why you would even let yourself be tested for XMRV. The price of carrying the social stigmata alone, not to mention the effect on one's insurance premiums, would not be worth risking.

What is the false positive rate of the XMRV diagnostic test? I'm sure you're aware that HIV diagnostic testing is fraught with many biologic false positives. Couple that with the fact that it's a leap of faith to assume that positive HIV serology invariably leads to AIDS. HIV positivity has not be firmly-established to be causally-related to AIDS.

Why don't we compare the sensitivity and specificity of the XMRV diagnostic test with the DNA hypomethylation diagnostic test in the same patient population?

You make a big assumption when you select so-called "normals" from the general population, the majority of whom are at least partially, if not fully-vaccinated, per the vaccine schedules. Conversely, how many of your XMRV positive patients have been at least partially, if not fully-vaccinated? Have you controlled for that variability?

Why don't we compare fully-vaccinated and completely unvaccinated for DNA hypomethylation, BEFORE we test patients for XMRV positivity?

Now that you have a diagnostic test for XMRV, and now that there has been shown an association between CFS and XMRV positivity, do you not share many of the same concerns that "HIV positive" patients have suffered from?

Who said anything about "being ok" with any toxins, patron? What "no toxin in sight” meant was that those animals do get sick when infected, without researchers having to add any toxins to the soup. (this is not to say that toxins would make situation worse for the animals, no doubt about that imo). And that those animal pathology findings resemble very much various pathologies (tissue injuries, cell abnormalities etc) found in autism.

HIV-deniers, including Janine Roberts (who seem to be from the extremist infection-denialist school! i.e. no harm ever comes from a bug. Sic! try saying that to a smallpox victim, or an ebola outbreak survivor)… the most basic question, and one they never offer explanation for, is how come previously-perfectly-healthy animals develop diseases when infected, and how come their health is restored when those infections are effectively inhibited. This makes the whole “Poisoned Cells Make Viruses” a bit hmmmmmm, narrow-minded, to put it very mildly. Simply ‘cos those animals’ cells had not been poisoned to start with, perfectly fine until they became exposed to viruses. And they become ‘unpoisoned’ if infections are dealt with sucessfully. No amount of 'endogenous-whatever' paddling ever accounts for that.

Not saying that milleu is unimportant. But that is beside the point here.

Food for thought - Perhaps we should ALL be empirically "recovered" from a lifetime of environmental pollution, both external and internal, e.g., chelated, screened, and treated for presumptive DNA hypomethylation?

All I know is that year after year
month after month something new and terrible comes our way.
This year it has been bipolar, psychoisis, passing out at work, an EEG this morning, and crying all the way home with a totally emotionally breakdown from a 29 year old nurse.

Last year - let me see if my mind is capable of thinking that far back anymore - oh, doctors taking my husbands oxygen levels, and shaking their heads like they expected death any minute, or was that the year before and last year was permanent neuropathy - nerve damage.

Years before it was every years something, just like Kim - put 'em on the bus and somebody is twisting their fingers.

It has been a hard 30 years. I don't know where to turn for answers, but I want 'em.

I wise we were as vocale as the Gay community when it came to the AIDS virus. By the way I seen plenty of them up in the officies of these lung doctors, and guess what that is where we ended up too. Only they have tested my husband many times for it and it is negative.

So it is acting like the AIDS virus only it is not.

Maybe it is acting like a fungal, yeast, Candida infection too and maybe it is not.

So many here have complained of fungal infections, I just thought it was from a wore out immune system, but maybe not.

Let me try to be clear. I don't want to rain on the WPI parade. They appear to be of good intent and their interests not conflicted. Like John Stone said, "Good news is also news, and we don't enough of it". So, on the whole, this work is positive. The parallels with HIV/AIDS are striking, however. I'd simply suggest caution, that we don't start taking other possible causes of CSF off the table. See also the Law of Unintended Consequences.

Natasa - "No toxins in sight". Really? So you are O.K. with aluminum, mercury, fluoride, uncertain biological recombinants, in the vaccine schedules? Just design a vaccine against XMRV and add it to the vaccine schedules. That will make everything fine again? Hmmm. What about all of the other biotech-enhanced "events" in pharma's, new-wave biologicals? in the current vaccine schedules?

It may prove to be misguided to put all of your eggs in one basket, so to speak.

Count me in the "I remain skeptical" camp along with Not placated. This appears to be heading in the same direction as the war against the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Sadly, this is very likely to provide fuel for more plausible deniability, more cytotoxic antiretroviral "treatments", more labviruses, more "crop" dusting - where we are the crop, more toxic pollutants in the public water and food supply, more "innovative" new vaccines added to the vaccine schedules, and more neurotoxic super-adjuvants added to the vaccine schedules.

We need a less polluted internal biologic milleau, not more xenobiotics.

Not placated@"Where exactly did this institute suddenly come up with such huge sums of money for a lab of this magnitude and for further research?"

all explained in great detail by Nevada Uni director in the opening ceremony speech - you'll find the link if you are really interested. in short 60mil from various university grants, 12 from Nevada state, 5mil from WPI foundation (private money, by people whose child suffers severe form of CFS)

Re Q: "How certain are we that retroviruses are not pleomorphic opportunists that are simply sensing a dysfunctional, polluted, internal biologic milleau? Are they innocent bystanders? Are they inherently pathogenic or did something transform them?"

Animal models tell us that those retroviruses are not pleomorphic opportunists, not a least bit innocent bystanders. In animal models these bugs are VERY much pathogenic. Very capable and eager on of infecting tissue such as intestinal lining, intestinal lymph notes, lining of brain blood vessels, microglial cells, various types of nervous cells etc. There they then lie low and cause chronic inflammation including gliosis, restricted supply of blood/oxygen to the brain of those animals, brain lesions, motor dysfunction, mitochondrial dysfunction, immune dysfunction, name it..

A lot is known about what those retroviruses do in lab rodents, and it is not very nice. The damage is also strangely familiar. Current research is coming up with some interesting clues of how those bugs behave once they infect monkeys. Where they go and what they do… all strangely familiar places, familiar types of damage inflicted. No toxins in sight.

Patrons99;
I am sorry but I liked Carol's theory best where AIDS came from . She directed me to the book "The River" and it sounds more like it.

Some sloppy, non ethical, cruel scientist not following the safe rules and a big mistake happened.

Rather than they made it at Fort D on purpose. Because for one thing: they just are not that smart! I am sorry but they are really not.

I have seen some of these guys dressed up in miltiary outfits on documentaries. Nerds is to generous word because nerd implies intelligence not even Geek - maybe a cross between clueless and dumb and dumber?

Now that I look back at my life, and more is behind me than in front of me, after I have lived this mess ---- it feels like a virus - a virus that is waiting for anytime that the any member of my family's immune system gets down. They get to cold, or too hot, or too tired, or too anxious, too stressed, don't eat right or take another damn vaccine.

This is it, I feel that it is, it is reasonable that it is, the NIH thinks something, the FDA thinks something and best of all the CDC because for some reason I dislike them the most had to back down because "Surprise" they couldn't do the science right in the first place.

In his video Robert B. Strecker, MD, PhD, lectures how the AIDS Virus was Predicted, Requested, Created and introduced into human population through Medical Injection Programs. Dr. Strecker practices Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology in Los Angeles as a trained pathologist, with a PhD in Pharmacology.

Heidi N - "We are way behind in general in testing and admitting to many pathogens out there harming our health, causing chronic, disabling symptoms."

I think that Not placated raises some very legitimate concerns, when [he] cites several reasons as to why [he] remains skeptical.

How certain are we that retroviruses are not pleomorphic opportunists that are simply sensing a dysfunctional, polluted, internal biologic milleau? Are they innocent bystanders? Are they inherently pathogenic or did something transform them?

Have we learned anything from the so-called HIV/AIDS epidemic? How many HIV-1 serologies are falsely positive? Was antiretroviral therapy ($$$) a medical success story for patients? Are there potential antiviral therapies that may be both safer and less expensive?

i believe various retroviruses will be found to account for the low grade inflammation and immune problems seen in diseases like autism. these types of viruses are typically found in low numbers and may reside mainly in tissues so are very hard to detect.

now that someone is actually looking for a pathogen seriously, things will change. thank God for the WPI. finally, someone who does not care about stepping on toes but about the truth.

Steve Mason wrote "This is great news. Now can anyone tell me what CFS in children looks like?"

Actually, yes. Dr. David Bell in Lyndonville, New York has extensively studied CFS in children. His was one of the original "clusters" studied by the CDC and he has continued to be active in pediatric CFS over the last 25-30 years. He has just received a grant to re-examine the patients (then children, now adults) he treated so long ago in light of the new findings. Note that he is doing this even though he had publicly announced his retirement last year (he's back because this research is so exciting) and is doing so without any personal financial benefit (see the newletter, "The Lyndonville News" at http://www.davidsbell.com for current information). After watching for many years, it is clear he is the caring doctor/researcher "good guy" everyone wishes was in their corner.

"Overgrowth of resources, viral or other, tends to be due to weakening and disruption of the ecosystem. We can no more be cured of our viruses than we can be relieved of our brains' frontal lobes: we are our viruses." Lynn Margulis, Symbiotic Planet

"The responsiveness of genes and genomes to the environment makes clear that the only way to keep genes and genomes constant and healthy is to have a balanced ecology... On the other hand, it is definitely futile to think that we can go on ruining our ecosystem and stay healthy so long as we have ‘good’ genes... Genes, unlike diamonds, are not forever." Mae Wan Ho, Living With the Fluid Genome

"Dr. Katz, Dr. Coffin, Dr. Bateman, and Dr. Glynn have disclosed no relevant financial relationships. Whittemore disclosed that the Whittemore Peterson Institute will acquire Viral Immune Pathways Diagnostic and will earn royalties on each XMRV test conducted; she and her family put their financial interest in Viral Immune Pathways Diagnostic into a trust to benefit the institute."

How accurate is the diagnostic test for XMRV? What is the sensitivity and specificity for the test? A relevant financial interest in the XMRV test has been disclosed.

Where it came from?
Maybe it has always been here, just in not such numbers and spreading.

The chief of the Cherokee, said that the whites were making babies like rabbits, while his people barely were reproducing to replace thier parents. He was half Scott - and half Cherokee. He had a daughter that I always thought it was autism the way it was described. His son had something wrong with his legs???? not understood what it was??

But (since I am an expert - not) it was further spread by vaccines - just look at the Gulf War veterans and you can figure that out. Never mine my children reacting the the DPT shot - with in hours of taking it.

But I will also admit that my husband's mother had something - I feel that she has passed it on.

She died a horrible death. She ended every year for 10 years in the hospital with every tube in every opening to her body that she had, plus IV stuck every where too.

I will be interesting how this plays out, as time goes on.

Thank goodness this will be the end of that stupid saying about gentics loading the gun and environment pulling the trigger.

Frankly, it's impossible to prove anything, and this is why the word, proven, is not used in science, and all science people know this. It is IMPOSSIBLE to know where this virus DIDN'T come from, only correlations to where it may have come from can be known. Keep in mind that there are many "unofficial" reports that say that HIV came from the initial Hep B vaccines. I don't agree nor disagree with this since I don't know. I do not expect there to be an explanation that is agreed upon as to where the HGRV (XMRV) came from, just as there is no agreement on the HIV. Also, keep in mind that HTLV-1 virus is another retrovirus capable of immune damage, and should also get the spotlight and many need to be tested for this as well. We are way behind in general in testing and admitting to many pathogens out there harming our health, causing chronic, disabling symptoms. The medical system started really failing the public when it started handing out gobs of diagnoses, saying there is no known cause, instead of looking for the cause. You can not have symptoms without a cause. All things have a cause.

So FDA and NIH have verified an association between XMRV and CFS. Next, they need to prove causality and route of transmission. Finally, therapies can be envisioned. Before commiting oneself or one's loved ones to anti-retroviral treatment, it is possible that there's a better way to treat viral infections. At least, better treatments could be envisioned, if there was an investment by government in R&D to find better treatments.

We should strive to educate ourselves thoroughly, before making a decision whether to vaccinate or not. The decision whether to vaccinate or not is our decision to make. No one else’s. This is a God-given right.

Dr Cantwell wrote the above-titled article more than a decade ago. His concerns are being validated. Personally, I believe that the answer to the question, posed by the title of his article, is yes. The evidence in support of this view has grown considerably. It’s time to compile, analyze, and present the evidence to the world. Our government should fund a prospective comparison between fully-vaccinated and completely unvaccinated. We can handle the truth.